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Robert BoschHis life and work

Journal of Bosch HistorySupplement 1



2 | Supplement 1 | Journal of Bosch History

This brochure is dedicated to the life and work of Robert Bosch. This

completely new edition has been prepared by Robert Bosch GmbH and

Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH. Its task is not to present a comprehensive

history of the company, but instead to sketch a portrait of Robert Bosch

against the background of his personal and professional life.

Robert Bosch had a watchword which guided him from his early youth:

“Never forget your humanity, and respect human dignity in your dealings

with others.” Even if he was an enthusiastic technician and a passionate

entrepreneur, it was people he was most interested in, and leadership

was his greatest strength.

The way he lived, also privately, the experience that shaped his thinking,

the economic and political challenges he was forced to rise up to: all these

things make the portrait of the man clearer and more meaningful – a man

who was a freethinking cosmopolitan with solid roots in his southwestern

German homeland, a champion of technology whose heart nonetheless

belonged to nature, a political thinker prone to outbursts of emotion, and

yet a father figure and model of circumspection.

It never ceases to surprise me how much of Robert Bosch lingers on in the

company and the foundation today, almost 70 years after his death. Yet he

did not hand his successors a strict rulebook that might limit their freedom

to act. His is a subtler influence, born of his strength of character, his cha-

risma. Indeed, his plausibility as a role model derives from his flaws as much

as it does from his qualities. He was a contemporary who was rough at theedges, a person who could be difficult. He was the source of much reverence

and much offense. Above all, he was an object of respect, since people knew

he was a careful thinker and keen observer, and that he was a person who

kept his word, who “walked the talk.”

I hope this brochure will find many readers, since it offers a chance to

learn about Robert Bosch as a person, as well as about the origins of our

company. Finally, it helps them to understand the respect the founder com-

mands to this very day, as well as the fascination evoked by his company.

Dr. Christof Bosch

Foreword

Cover photo:

Robert Bosch leaving the

Stadthalle in Stuttgart

on September 23, 1936,

following the ceremonies

on the occasion of the

fiftieth anniversary of the

company. The day also

marked his seventy-fifth

birthday.



Robert Bosch | 3

Contents

4 The man

6 “I also lacked the necessary patience and ambition”

The childhood and education of Robert Bosch

12 “Dear Anna ...”

Robert Bosch’s marriage to Anna Kayser

16 Assistant, advisor, and intermediary

Robert Bosch’s marriage to Margarete Wörz

20 Hunter’s tales and a natural paradise

Robert Bosch, hunter and farmer

26 The entrepreneur

28 “I would much prefer to do business on my own”

The Workshop for Precision Mechanics

and Electrical Engineering

32 The spark of genius

Robert Bosch and the magneto ignition device

38 The years that changed everything

Rationalization, diversification, and agreements

42 “Associates,” not wage earners

Robert Bosch as an employer

46 The visionary

48 Education and healthcare

The civic initiatives of Robert Bosch

52 The healing power of nature

Homeopath and “lifestyle reformer”

56 Liberal politics and social responsibility

Robert Bosch and politics

60 His final wishes

The will of Robert Bosch

64 The lasting legacy of Robert Bosch

70 Timeline of Robert Bosch

From 1890, Robert Bosch visited

his customers on a bicycle he had

imported from England expressly

for this purpose. In contrast to other

bicycles of the day with their high

wheels in front and low in the back,

his was quick and safe to ride. With

his “safety bike,” the young entre-

preneur caused something of a stiron the streets of Stuttgart.




The man

Robert Bosch with his

wife Margarete and his

son Robert junior, 1931



Robert Bosch | 5






Robert Bosch | 7

Robert Bosch was born on September 23,

1861, in Albeck near Ulm in southern

Germany. He was the eleventh of twelve

children born to Servatius Bosch, the pros-

perous innkeeper of the “Krone” in Albeck,

and his wife Maria Margaretha. Both par-

ents had inherited considerable property,

which allowed the father to include farming

and brewing among his trades. His father,

a freemason with politically liberal views,

was a very widely-read and well-educated

man. Robert Bosch later described his

mother as an exceedingly hard-working

and sympathetic woman, always willing to

get up during the night to provide meals

for teamsters whenever they arrived at the

inn late with their wagons, or to prepare

malt lozenges for Robert whenever he

was ill.

The move to Ulm

The family’s move to Ulm marked the

first major upheaval in Robert Bosch’s

life. In 1869, Servatius Bosch sold his

inn and retired from business at the age

of 53. Plans for a new railroad between

Ulm and Heidenheim led him to fear he

would lose his main customers, the team-

sters whose route took them through

Albeck. In addition, none of his adult

children wanted to take over the inn

and the farm that went with it.

“I also lacked the necessary patience

and ambition” The childhood and education of Robert Bosch

For a man who would go down in history as the founder of a successful global

technology and services company, Robert Bosch failed to show much inclina-

tion for such matters at school. Indeed, all indications pointed, if anything, toa somewhat different career path: “My preference lay more with zoology and

botany, but I was not at all fond of school [...].” However, his aversion was

directed toward his teachers and, later, his instructors, rather than the subjects

he was expected to learn. Even during his school years, Robert Bosch had a

thirst for knowledge and had a wide range of interests.

Robert Bosch’s mother

Maria Margaretha

(1818 – 1898), photo-

graph of an oil painting,

c. 1838

Left:

Robert Bosch with his

sister Maria, 1871

Robert Bosch’s father

Servatius (1816 – 1880),

photograph of an oil

painting, c. 1838

by Dr. Kathrin Fastnacht




Robert Bosch attended the secondary-

technical school in Ulm, but he did not

have fond memories of this period: “I more

or less muddled my way through school.

We had a whole host of teachers who were

either old or past it.” Although his ability

ensured he remained in the upper half of

the class, he never excelled. However, as

he admitted himself: “I also lacked the

necessary patience and ambition.” For that

reason, and despite his desire to take up

studies in the field of zoology or botany,

he opted not to go on to high school and

qualify for university. Instead, he followed

his father’s advice and began an appren-

ticeship as a precision mechanic. However,

he was unfortunate in his choice of a mas-

ter in Ulm – the “precision mechanic &

optical instrument maker” Wilhelm Maier.

Maier paid hardly any attention to the

training of his apprentices, was frequently

absent from the workshop, and was gener-

ally unable to pass on much of value to

those under his tutelage. After three years,

at the age of 18, Bosch completed his

apprenticeship. Above all else, his dream

now was to explore the world and learn

something new.

Journeyman’s travels

Having tried in vain to get a job in Heidel-

berg, Pforzheim, and Karlsruhe, Robert

Bosch decided in the fall of 1879 to join

his brother Karl – 18 years his senior –

in Cologne. He spent several months

employed as a brass worker in Karl’s gas

and water pipe company. In the winter

of the same year, however, he moved on

Top left:

The house where

Robert Bosch was born,

in Albeck, near Ulm:

the inn “Zur Krone”

Top right:

From 1869 to 1876,

Robert Bosch attended

the secondary-technical

school on Olgastrasse

in Ulm.

Robert Bosch’s diary,

written on his voyage

to America in May

1884



Robert Bosch | 9

to Stuttgart, joining C. & E. Fein, a pioneer

in the field of electrical engineering. Again,

he remained there for just a few months

before continuing his journeyman’s travels

and spending the time between spring

1880 and spring 1881 working in a chain

factory in Hanau, near Frankfurt am Main.

It was during this time that his father died.

Robert Bosch was convinced his father’s

death was a direct result of his life of lei-

sure: “It would have been better for him

not to have retired so early.”

In the spring of 1881, Robert Bosch

returned to his brother’s business in

Cologne for a further six months to learn

more about commercial matters. Then,

in the fall, he returned to Ulm to begin

a year of military service. After that, he

resumed his itinerant lifestyle as a journey-

man. At the factory of Sigmund Schuckert

in Nuremberg, he was mainly occupied

with the manufacture of electrical measur-

ing instruments. However, as he noted,

“I couldn’t put up with Schuckert long

either, and by the summer I was already

in Göppingen with a man named Schäffer

who […] built arc lamps.”

Predictably, the construction of arc

lamps joined the ranks of the occupations

unable to hold Bosch’s interest for long.

Despite his lack of background knowledge,

he enrolled at Stuttgart Polytechnic as

a non-registered student for the winter

semester of 1883 –1884. Although he later

admitted that he learned relatively little

about science during these six months,

Robert Bosch during his military

service, 1881 – 1882

Below left:

From the fall of 1882

until the summer of

1883, Robert Bosch

worked at the factory

of Sigmund Schuckert

in Nuremberg.

Below right:

Robert Bosch, 1884




he did concede that his “studies” had

helped him overcome his “fear of technical

terminology […]. After that, I knew about

voltage and currents, and what horsepower

was.”

Travels abroad

Following this interlude at the polytechnic,

Robert Bosch decided to extend the scope

of his travels so that he could gain on-the-

job experience beyond the borders of

Germany. At that time, the U.S. and U.K.

were home to many pioneers in the field of

electrical engineering. Thanks to his tutor

at the polytechnic, Bosch had received a

letter of recommendation for the Edison

works in New York. He duly set out from

Rotterdam aboard a Dutch steamer headed

for New York on May 24, 1884. Now aged

22, Robert Bosch kept a diary of the two-

week voyage in which he records not only

amusing observations about his traveling

companions, but also his own thoughts

on his future career. Alongside a sense

of nervous excitement at the prospect of

entering the unknown, his jottings also

reveal his strength of will to succeed as

well as considerable self-assurance: “[…]

I also intend to do everything I can to get

ahead. It would be surprising if I could not

make it in a country where any number of

other people have […].”

On his arrival in the U.S., Robert Bosch

found a job in an Edison factory manufac-

turing all types of electrical equipment,

including arc lamps, light fixtures, remote-

reading thermometers, and phonographs.

However, contrary to all his expectations,

he did not feel he was learning anything

really new. Career-wise, things were not

going quite to plan for Robert Bosch, and

he experienced a period of unemployment

before once again finding a job at the

Edison Machine Works. In their letters to

each other, Robert Bosch and Anna Kayser,

the sister of his friend Eugen Kayser, had

agreed to become engaged, and so Bosch

decided to return to Germany after a year

in the U.S. On his way home, he stopped

off in England and spent the period

between May and December 1885 working

for Siemens Brothers in Woolwich, London.

After returning to Germany at Christmas

1885, Robert Bosch became officially

engaged to Anna. As his own writings

reveal, a letter from his bride-to-be urging



Robert Bosch | 11

him to return had evidently played a

key role in his decision to come home:

“Had you not written such an appealing

letter, my stubborn dedication to my

mission would have seen me remain here,

annoyed and bored, for another three

months while gaining no further benefit

than a minor improvement in my English.”

Nonetheless, there were no immediate

thoughts of marriage. Bosch took up one

last position of employment, this time at

Buss, Sombart & Co. in Magdeburg. A few

months later, he returned to southwest

Germany, and opened his own business

on Rotebühlstrasse in Stuttgart in Novem-

ber 1886 – the “Workshop for Precision

Mechanics and Electrical Engineering”.

After all the experience he had gathered

on the various stages of his journeyman’s

career, Robert Bosch became an entrepre-

neur out of conviction. In his own business,

as his own boss, he would at last be able

to organize a company in the way he saw

fit. Throughout the rest of his life, he placed

importance on highest quality and absolute

reliability. He offered his associates respect

and trust, made it possible for them to

receive good occupational and further

training, and provided exemplary working

conditions.

Top left:

When he arrived in

New York in the spring

of 1884, Robert Bosch

was fascinated by the

Brooklyn Bridge.

Right:Robert Bosch with one

of his brothers, 1884




During his period in the U.S. and U.K.,

Robert Bosch wrote long letters to Anna

Kayser describing to his future wife his

character and his plans for the future.

Today, these letters give us an insight into

the man himself, revealing his dependabil-

ity, his ambition, but also a tendency to

erupt into sudden fits of anger. Bosch

admitted as much to his fiancée: “One of

my main failings is that I lose my temper

easily. But I always regret this immediately

afterwards and am now at least able to

ask forgiveness if I treat anyone unjustly.”

The two of them did not always see eye

to eye. On the question of women’s eman-

cipation, Robert Bosch was in fact more

progressive than his fiancée. She believed

that it was female nature to “rely on the

greater strength of the man […].” In con-

trast, he had made some astute observa-

tions about cause and effect: “It is little

wonder that women are incapable of pro-

found thoughts […] since, for centuries,

they have been denied the right to think

at all […].” Nonetheless, closer examina-

tion of his letters reveals that his views

were otherwise entirely characteristic of

the era. For instance, he urged Anna to

acquire a thorough knowledge of cooking.

The couple were married in the Lutheran

church in Obertürkheim on October 10,

1887.

“Dear Anna …”

Robert Bosch’s marriage to Anna Kayser

“No matter what happens, I must make you mine. If we should suffer any

misfortune, there will always be your love for me, because I will fulfill my duty.”

When Robert Bosch wrote these words to his fiancée Anna Kayser in November

1885, the cruel twist of fate that would destroy their relationship and their

marriage still lay far in the future. The first years of their life together were

governed by the waxing and waning fortunes of the small workshop that would

take over a decade to truly find its feet.

Top left:

Anna Bosch, neé Kayser

(1864 – 1949), 1886

Top right:Robert and Anna Bosch,

c. 1890




Robert Bosch | 13

The children Paula, Margarete, and Robert junior,

c. 1900




A growing family

Robert and Anna Bosch’s first apartment

was located at 56 Schwabstrasse in

Stuttgart. Their daughters Margarete and

Paula were born there in 1888 and 1889.

A year and a half later, the birth of their

third child Robert prompted a move to a

larger apartment at 145 Rotebühlstrasse.

The arrival of their third daughter Erna

Elisabeth in 1893 saw the family move to

yet another new home, this time at 20

Moltkestrasse. One year later, the Bosch

family had to suffer the sudden death of

little Elisabeth due to “acute diabetes.”

Despite suffering these blows of fate in his

private life, business was soon doing well.

During the period between roughly 1900

and 1910, Robert Bosch was able to see his

business grow from a small workshop to a

global enterprise. This success was also

reflected in the family’s lifestyle. In 1902,

Bosch built a small villa at 7 Hölderlin-

strasse, before embarking on the construc-tion of the spacious villa at 31 Heidehof-

strasse in 1910.

The nature lover

Every year, the entire family would mark

the school vacations with a trip to the

mountains. During these holidays and

weekend trips to the Swabian Jura, the

low mountain ranges to the south and east

of Stuttgart, Robert Bosch passed on to

his children his own great love for nature.

Nonetheless, he always remained a strict

father. His daughter Margarete recalled:

“He explained many things to us children

and gave us an enormous amount of intel-

lectual stimulation, particularly during

our childhood years. But you had to watch

out, because he wouldn’t explain anything

a second time.”

The heir apparent

Robert Bosch introduced his son to the

business early, letting him help with inven-

tory-taking at the age of just eleven. He

regarded him as his successor. Young

Robert took up a post as an apprentice in

his father’s company in 1909, but his careercame to an abrupt end only the following

Anna Bosch with her son

Robert junior, 1913



Robert Bosch | 15

year: “To my deep regret, I had to leave the

company after only a short time because of

my eyes.” This terse sentence marks the

beginning of a sequence of events that

would culminate in the breakdown of the

marriage between Robert and Anna Bosch:

their son had developed multiple sclerosis.

The next few years were filled with health

cures and doctors’ appointments. Anna

Bosch was consumed by her worries and

the effort of caring for her son, who died

after a long illness on April 6, 1921.

The breakdown of the marriage

Robert Bosch received the news of his

son’s death during a business trip to South

America: “No matter how much one hoped

his life would end peacefully, the fact that

he is now gone has moved me to the very

depths of my soul. [...] I don’t know how

many times I have asked myself why I

should still be alive when he – one so

young – had to suffer and waste away.”

The parents each tried to come to terms

with the death of their son in their own

way. Two months later, Robert Bosch wrote

the following in a letter to his wife: “It’s

true that I prefer not to speak of Robert.

It is better that I deal with such things by

myself. [...] I cannot change what has hap-

pened, and I have to accept the inevitable.”

While Bosch sought solace in his work and

continued to play an active role in public

life, his wife withdrew more and more from

society. Their grief and different ways of

dealing with the death of their son drove

the couple further and further apart until

the marriage was finally dissolved in 1927.

Left:

Margarete Bosch

(1888 – 1971), painted byGeorg Friedrich Zundel,

1907

Right:

Paula Bosch

(1889 – 1974), painted by

Georg Friedrich Zundel,

1907




Assistant, advisor, and intermediary

Robert Bosch’s marriage to Margarete Wörz

When the 39-year-old Margarete Wörz married the now 66-year-old

Robert Bosch in November 1927, he was already a successful entrepreneur.

She in turn was well aware of the expectations society would place on the

new Mrs. Bosch, and proceeded to live up to these with ease. In addition,

the spacious house on Heidehofstrasse experienced a new lease on life with

the birth of two further children. Given his displeasure with conditions under

National Socialism, these new arrivals provided a degree of distraction for

Robert Bosch.

Margarete Wörz

(1888–1979), c. 1924




Robert Bosch | 17

Robert Bosch remarried shortly after his

divorce from Anna in 1927. Born on July 12,

1888, Margarete Wörz was the daughter

of the head forester Eberhard Wörz and

his wife Maria. She moved into the villa

on Heidehofstrasse after the wedding

and, in 1928, Robert and Margarete Bosch

celebrated the birth of their son Robert.

In the fall of 1930, the couple lost a child

born prematurely.

Their daughter Eva was born the following

year. As Robert Bosch had already relin-

quished responsibility for the day-to-day

running of the business by the time he

remarried, he was able to spend a lot of

time with his wife and children. As with

his first family, he often took Margarete

and their children Robert and Eva on trips

to the mountains, to the Bosch Farm in

Bavaria, and to his hunting lodge near

Urach in the Swabian Jura. Writing from

the Engadine area of southeastern Switzer-

land, he said: “My wife and children are

blissfully happy here. Robl [Robert] is

proving an accomplished skier. [...] Last

week, I finally had the chance to play curl-

ing again, which was a great pleasure.”

However, the life Robert Bosch now led

was by no means simply that of a private

individual. He continued to use his time

to further his many civic initiatives. Apart

from international understanding, he was

especially concerned to help people in

need and to contribute to a better educa-

tional system.

Withdrawal from public life

After the National Socialists took power

in 1933, Robert Bosch withdrew even more

from public life. Hitler’s intention to embark

on a new war became evident very early

on, and this troubled Bosch deeply. Writing

around 1935, Bosch’s private secretary

Felix Olpp reported: “The iniquity of the

Nazis distressed Mr. Bosch greatly and we

were often at a loss as to how to calm him

Top left:

In 1910 –11, Robert Bosch

had a villa built on a plot

of parkland he had bought

on Heidehofstrasse in

Stuttgart.

Top right:

The renowned German

architect Bruno Paul

designed the dining room

of the villa in the 1920s.




down. At such times, I would call Mr. Mauk

[director of the Bosch Farm], who could

always think of some important farm mat-

ters to discuss with Mr. Bosch. In the days

or weeks when Mr. Bosch was in particu-

larly low spirits, we would suggest that he

go to the Bosch Farm, where Mr. Mauk was

usually able to lighten his mood.”

Following the outbreak of war in September

1939, the family moved to the Bosch Farm

and the children attended school locally.

When Paula, his daughter from his first

marriage, invited the family to live in Sillen-

buch near Stuttgart, Robert Bosch turned

down her offer, saying: “We do not intend

to return to Stuttgart while there is any

danger of the city coming under attack. For

one thing, we have the children to consider.

For another, my associates in the company

would certainly not wish to think of me in

danger.”

There are hardly any written accounts of

Robert Bosch’s second marriage. Theodor

Bäuerle, a close confidant, recalled the

following in his memoirs: “He took an

almost grandfatherly joy in his children

and had great hopes of his growing son.

[...] Mrs. Margarete Bosch was extremely

clever in dealing with the idiosyncrasies

of her husband. [...] She invited guests

into their home so there was never any

lack of entertainment or companionship,

and was careful to select guests who

would satisfy his many interests.” In many

respects, Margarete was also an assistant

and advisor, as well as an intermediary

between the older and younger genera-

tions. She thus became an enormous

support to Robert Bosch in his later years.

The final years

After the company became a close corpora-

tion (GmbH) in 1937, Robert Bosch put his

affairs in order before drawing up his will

in 1938. In this document, he set out his



Robert Bosch | 19

vision for the future of his company and

for the legacy he would leave behind. Three

years later, he celebrated his 80th birthday

at the Brenner Spa Hotel in Baden-Baden.

He had purposely chosen this venue to

avoid being presented the “Pioneer of

Labor” title by the National Socialist Party

in Stuttgart. The plan backfired, however,

when Robert Ley, the National Socialist

leader of the “Labor Front,” managed to

track Bosch down in Baden-Baden and

present the unwilling recipient with the

award.

The following winter, Robert Bosch was

plagued by serious illness. As Olpp recalled,

he nonetheless continued to pay regular

visits to his administrative office: “He was

working in his office just 2 or 3 days before

his death. He wore a bandage around his

head at ear level and was moaning with

pain.” Robert Bosch died on March 12,

1942, of complications resulting from an

inflammation of the middle ear.

Even in death, the National Socialist regime

refused to leave him in peace. A telephone

call from Berlin announced that a state

funeral would be held on March 18, 1942.

On the eve of the funeral, a simple service

took place in the Stuttgart plant in the

presence of Robert Bosch’s family. The

state funeral was held in the König Karl Hall

of the Landesgewerbemuseum in Stuttgart.

Many obituaries paid tribute not only to the

entrepreneurial and personal achievements

of Robert Bosch, but also to the social

commitment demonstrated by the company

founder. Today, his memory continues to

be honored by the entire company, by the

Robert Bosch Stiftung, and by his direct

descendants.

From left to right:

Robert junior and Eva Bosch take

to the track at the Stuttgart riding

arena, 1937.

Robert Bosch (third from left) on

the deck of the ship that took him

to the United States, 1924

Group photo in the spa gardens in

Baden-Baden, showing Robert und

Margarete Bosch (second and third

from left), 1935




Hunters’ tales and a natural paradise

Robert Bosch, hunter and farmerby Dr. Kathrin Fastnacht



Robert Bosch | 21

“Up until the year 1904, I hunted only in

the summer months and in the mountains.

Then I leased the communal hunting estate

at Magstadt [near Stuttgart] and found it an

excellent source of relaxation. I had bought

myself a small automobile and spent almost

every Saturday afternoon and Sunday at

the hunting lodge. If the weather was good,

I took my family with me, otherwise a fellow

hunter or my son.” These hunting trips were

not only about pursuing a favorite pastime.

They were also about being close to nature.

Each year from 1918 onwards at the begin-

ning of the mating season, he would spend

around eight days in Pfronten, located

in the Upper Allgäu region directly on the

border to Austria, stalking game on his

new hunting grounds with head huntsman

Franz Scholl or other companions.

Hunting companions

Even with those nearest to him, Robert

Bosch’s manner remained somewhat

guarded and detached. Although this

meant he did not have a great many close

friends, his few true confidants knew they

could trust him implicitly. That said, the

level of familiarity in any such relationship

was always his to determine. His closest

friendships were reserved for the men

who shared his passion for hunting. They

included Paul Reusch (1868 – 1956), the

Swabian CEO of Gutehoffnungshütte in

Oberhausen, the professional hunter

Georg Escherich (1870 – 1941), and Bosch’s

favorite hunting companion Otto Mezger

(1875 – 1934), who was director of the

Chemical Investigation Office of the City

of Stuttgart. As Robert Bosch’s associate

As early as his apprenticeship years in Ulm, Robert Bosch honed his shooting

skills using a Flobert rifle bought and paid for with his own pocket money. How-

ever, with sparrows the only quarry in his sights at this early stage, it would takeanother 20 years and more before he became a “real” hunter. Yet Robert Bosch

was not simply a huntsman; he was also concerned with preserving and main-

taining stocks of game. In addition to his passion for hunting, he also pursued

his keen interest in agriculture at the Bosch Farm in Mooseurach. Here, instead

of shooting at sparrows, he introduced a hugely diverse bird population that

would feed on the insects that inhabited the marshland.

Left:

Interesting perspectives:

Robert Bosch (right) with estate

director Mauk at the Bosch Farm,

1935

Right:

Robert Bosch and his licensed

hunter Seraphin Schöll, 1941




Felix Olpp recalled: “His favorite guests

included his estate manager Walther Mauk

from the Bosch Farm, various doctors, our

own Dr. Alfred Knoerzer, Messrs. August

and Felix Schuler, director Ritter from

Daimler-Benz, and, above all, his friend

Schirg (the forestry director Dr. Georg

Escherich).”

An invitation to the hunt

Being invited to join one of these hunting

expeditions was a sign of great esteem. But

as Robert Bosch’s private secretary Felix

Olpp described later, the expectations

placed on the guests were equally high:

“Mr. Bosch often said that, at Pfronten,

it was possible to build up relationships

that were virtually unknown in the office.

He said that hunting reveals a completely

different side to people. Discussions in

the hunting lodges or at the “Krone” inn in

Pfronten were always extremely useful to

him from a business point of view.” If any

guest was unlucky enough to disappoint his

host, it more or less put to rest any hopes

of a business relationship with Bosch.

Top left:

Robert Bosch (right) with

three further hunters and

their trophies, c. 1938

Top right:

Robert Bosch (right)

with traveling compan-

ions outside a hunting

lodge in Sweden, 1917



Robert Bosch | 23

Bosch’s hunting estates in Urach in the

Swabian Jura, in the Karwendel mountains

in Tirol, and in the Allgäu region near

Pfronten soon became famous. Fellow

hunters respected his careful husbandry

of an impressive stock of game. Robert

Bosch continued to hunt into old age, even

when he was no longer able to tackle the

strenuous climbs on foot and had to rely

on a horse to carry him to the start of the

hunt. As in his company’s production opera-

tions, precision was everything on these

hunting expeditions and Bosch became

renowned for his prowess as a marksman.

The law required hunting estate tenants to

be living persons, not organizations such

as Robert Bosch GmbH. Following Robert

Bosch’s death, his wife Margarete therefore

took it upon herself to qualify as a hunter

in Pfronten so that the estates could be

retained for the family and for the company.

Robert Bosch derived a particular pleasure

from all aspects of hunting. The silence

that had to be maintained while stalking

suited his taciturn nature. However, after a

successful hunting trip, he let himself relax

and join in hearty renditions of hunting

songs, even though he was not necessarily

the best of singers.

The acquisition of the Bosch Farm

Robert Bosch’s close affinity with nature

is also evident in his interest in agriculture:

“Agriculture in itself is one of the most

interesting lines of business there is. It is

more varied than virtually any other field,

for it has to do with zoology, botany, geol-

ogy, chemistry, and meteorology in their

widest sense.” This enthusiasm for farming

emerged early in his career. In the period

around 1900, he had already toyed with the

idea of purchasing the “Klein-Hohenheim”

farm near Stuttgart. However, his wife Anna

was far from keen on the idea. She was in

all likelihood concerned that, if he added

this project to his already very heavy work-

load, her husband would simply be taking

on too much.

Left:

Robert Bosch with a seal

in Sweden, 1917

Right:

Robert Bosch with estate

director Mauk on an inspec-

tion tour of the Bosch Farm,

1932




poor soil in Upper Bavaria into a model

farming estate, seven previously independ-

ent farmsteads were amalgamated to create

the Bosch Farm. “Back then, it seemed to

me a great feat to transform a mere bog

into a land of milk and honey.”

The principles that governed his industrial

projects were also brought to bear in his

agricultural activities. Bosch’s plan was to

use state-of-the-art technology to produce

high-quality products that could be sold in

the region. This project got under way with

the help of special machines, and a newly

developed process of silage making was

introduced. At the same time, Bosch even

Top left:

Modern silage facilities

at the Bosch Farm, 1930

Top right:

Advertisement for Bosch

Farm products, 1931

After the first world war, Robert Bosch did

eventually take his first steps into the world

of agriculture. However, this was done less

as a result of his passion for farming, and

more as the result of an ill-advised invest-

ment. Around 1912, he had acquired shares

in a company in Beuerberg, Bavaria, that

planned to use the Ekenberg process of

electrolytic hydrogenation to produce peat

for use in the manufacture of fuel. However,

this process proved to be economically

inviable.

From peat bog to a land of milk and honey

Far from being discouraged, this setback

simply fuelled Bosch’s ambition. Having

made plans to transform the expanses of



Robert Bosch | 25

Stand of the Bosch

Farm at the agricultural

exhibition in Munich,

1936

then made use of what we would call eco-

friendly methods in creating an environ-

ment that would attract hosts of birds,

thus providing a natural means of pest

control. On the farm at Mooseurach, Robert

Bosch built a house for his own family and

accommodation for a workforce that soon

numbered over 300. Yet despite his best

efforts, the Bosch Farm remained a subsi-

dized operation. As he would later admit,

he “acquired [the Bosch Farm] completely

by chance.” From that point onwards, he

firmly believed that farming should be left

to those who really understood what they

were doing.

Following Robert Bosch’s death in 1942,

Mooseurach became a haven for his second

family and Margarete Bosch carried on

the farm with the aid of various managers.

Although the estate was reduced in size

on several occasions, it never managed to

achieve a profit and operations finally came

to an end in 1976. The land once wrested

from the moor has been undergoing a

process of renaturalization since 1986 and

the Bosch family now operates a small

organic farm business on the site.




The entrepreneur

Robert Bosch at his desk

at the factory in Stuttgart,

1906



Robert Bosch | 27




For his new venture into independence,

Robert Bosch rented ground-floor rooms

in a courtyard-entrance building at

75 B Rotebühlstrasse in Stuttgart. His own

description of the premises lists “an office,

one larger and one smaller workshop, and

a room without its own light where the

forge was housed.” On November 11, 1886,

Robert Bosch established the “Workshop

for Precision Mechanics and Electrical

Engineering” with his very first associates –

a technician and an errand boy. However,

with official permission yet to be granted,

work could not begin immediately. The

necessary permission arrived four days

later on November 15, 1886, and it is this

date that has been regarded as the com-

pany’s foundation day ever since. The initial

capital stock of 10,000 German marks came

from Bosch’s inheritance from his father,

who had died six years earlier. However,

this money was not destined to last long.

“I would much prefer to do business

on my own”The Workshop for Precision Mechanicsand Electrical Engineering

In his letters to Anna Kayser, the woman who would later become his first wife,

it is already clear that Robert Bosch wished to become self-employed and set

up his own company. In the spring of 1886, however, he was still unsure where

he should locate this new enterprise. Although Cologne had long been at the

top of his list, he finally opted for Stuttgart. In all probability, this decision was

based not only on the city’s economic prospects, but also on the fact that his

fiancée lived in nearby Obertürkheim.

The first company plaque

of the newly established

“Workshop for Precision

Mechanics and Electrical

Engineering,” 1886

by Dieter Schmitt



Robert Bosch | 29

Teething troubles

Robert Bosch could not afford the luxury

of picking and choosing which orders to

accept. He turned his hand to any piece

of precision mechanics or electrical engi-

neering work that came his way. Gottlob

Honold, who was an apprentice at Bosch

between 1891 and 1894, and later became

the head of development as well as a mem-

ber of the board of management, recalls

that the range of products and services

was very diverse: “An electric stenograph

machine, various large cameras with a focal

length of around 10 meters (lens distance),

typewriters, speedometers, fountain pens,

caliper compasses, photographic shutters,

telephone cords, telephone terminals, line

switches, electric bells, remote electrical

water-level indicators, electric elements,

electrical door contacts and push buttons,

resistance bridges, cigar holders, faucets

for water pipes that empty automatically

once the pressure is removed, gas lighters,

shooting targets with electrical displays,

and no doubt many other things that I do

not recall.”

Yet despite even this extensive portfolio,

orders were sometimes sparse during

the early years, leaving Bosch struggling

to keep his workforce busy and pay their

wages on time. Not wishing to be in debt

to his associates, he borrowed money from

his mother or took out loans for which his

family acted as guarantor. Occasionally,

a neighboring fruit merchant helped out

by offering smaller loans. In his memoirs,

Richard Schyle, who worked for Bosch

between 1891 and 1930, recounts that

Robert Bosch’s “workers may have been

in a better financial position than he was

at that time.” In retrospect, Robert Bosch

felt this was somewhat exaggerated, even

though he himself described his first years

Left:

Robert Bosch at the age

of 25, 1886

Right:

The courtyard of the

building at 75 B Rotebühl-

strasse. From 1886 until

1890, the workshop was

located on the ground

floor at the right.




as a self-employed businessman as a

“shambles,” plagued by constant highs

and lows. In 1892, he faced a particularly

difficult year and was obliged to reduce

his workforce from 24 associates to just

two. Nonetheless, Bosch succeeded in

overcoming even these most trying of

times.

Basic principles

The rules of the workshop were strict.

Robert Bosch placed great importance on

thriftiness, quality, punctuality, and disci-

pline. For him, it was absolutely crucial

that his customers should be offered

work of the very highest standard. In 1921,

he outlined this principle in the “Bosch-

Zünder,” the associate newspaper: “I have

always acted according to the principle that

I would rather lose money than trust. The

integrity of my promises, the belief in the

value of my products and in my word of

honor have always had a higher priority to

me than a transitory profit.”

If Robert Bosch observed any associate

being careless or wasting materials, he was

quick to take them to task. Long-serving

To celebrate the

completion of his

thousandth magnetoignition device,

Robert Bosch (back

row, third from left)

took his associates

on a company outing,

1896.



Robert Bosch | 31

associates such as Gottlob Honold knew

exactly how to deal with such situations.

He said that, from time to time, it was as

if “a storm raged through the entire place”

but “the skies soon cleared and peace

was restored thanks to the good personal

relationship between employer and employ-

ees.”

While Robert Bosch demanded much from

his associates, he also made sure they had

the equipment they needed to live up to his

expectations. He knew his associates could

not produce the high-quality products he

demanded if they were working with inad-

equate equipment at outdated benches.

With this in mind, he invested the compa-

ny’s meager profits in the very latest

machines and tools. In 1890, he purchased

a bicycle to help him fulfill his service con-

tracts. To enable his customers to contact

him quickly and easily, he also took the

step of installing a telephone at what was

then the very considerable cost of 150

German marks a year. A subscription to the

magazine “Centralblatt für Elektrotechnik”

kept him up to date with the latest industry

developments, and he also placed adver-

tisements in various other magazines to

spread the word about his workshop.

The workshop environment

Richard Schyle’s memoirs provide an insight

into the atmosphere in the Bosch workshop

and records some of the lighter moments.

For example, he relates that on one particu-

lar summer’s day when the heat in the

workshop had become unbearable, Robert

Bosch suddenly decided to shut up shop

and give his staff the day off. He also notes

that his associates liked to sing while they

worked. Bosch supposedly enjoyed this so

much that he tended to stay in his office so

they would not be interrupted or disturbed

by his presence. In 1896, Robert Bosch

celebrated the assembly of the one thou-

sandth magneto ignition device together

with his associates, organizing an outing

to an inn near Stuttgart. By that time, the

magneto ignition device already accounted

for most of the company’s sales. Even so,

no one had any inkling that this product

would soon be the medium that would

make the Bosch name famous the world

over.

Below from left to right:

The first advertisement

placed by Robert

Bosch, in the Stuttgart

daily newspaper

“Der Beobachter,” 1887

Stationary gasolineengine from the 1890s,

equipped with a Bosch

low-voltage magneto

ignition device

Technical drawing of the

first Bosch low-voltage

magneto ignition device

with break-spark rodding,

1887




The spark of geniusRobert Bosch and the magneto ignition device

On March 16, 1900, Robert Bosch wrote a letter to his brother-in-law Eugen

Kayser, proudly announcing his plans to buy a building in Stuttgart and set up

a factory of his own. The new building marked the start of the company’s

transformation from a small courtyard-entrance workshop in Stuttgart to an

industrial enterprise with sales offices and locations throughout the world.

This commercial breakthrough was fuelled by the achievements Bosch and his

associates had made in developing the magneto ignition device into the best

automotive ignition system of its age.

by Dieter Schmitt



Robert Bosch | 33

From left to right:

View to the first factory

building owned by Robert

Bosch on Hoppenlau-

strasse in Stuttgart,

photo from 1936

In the planning phase

of the building, Robert

Bosch contributedhis ideas to the drafts

of the architects

Beisbarth & Früh, 1900.

Robert Bosch proudly

announces to his brother-

in-law Eugen Kayser that

he has bought an apart-

ment building at 2 B

Militärstrasse, and that

he plans to build a new

factory next door, 1900.

Robert Bosch had come across the

magneto ignition device more or less by

chance. A mechanical engineer had inquired

whether Bosch might be able to replicate

a magneto ignition device he had seen

in Schorndorf. Accepting the challenge,

Robert Bosch traveled the 30 kilometers

from Stuttgart to Schorndorf to take a

closer look. The purpose of the magneto

ignition device was to generate the electric

spark needed to cause the air-fuel mixture

in a stationary internal-combustion engine

to explode.

Sales driver

The device Robert Bosch had traveled to

see was mounted on an engine manufac-

tured by the Cologne-based company

Deutz. Having ascertained that the magneto

ignition device was not patent-protected,

Bosch succeeded in producing a replica.

The very first Bosch ignition device was

duly delivered to Schmehl & Hespelt, a

mechanical engineering company in the

small town of Möckmühl in Württemberg.

However, Bosch had done more than

simply copied the device he had seen in

Schorndorf. He had also made improve-

ments, replacing the heavy bar magnets

with smaller, more stable U-shaped mag-

nets. This made the magnets stronger and

meant that the device worked even better.

Over the next few years, Bosch manufac-

tured the magneto ignition device in grow-

ing, albeit still relatively small, numbers.

He delivered a total of nine magneto igni-

tion devices in 1888, and 23 the following

year. In 1891, that figure rose to more

than 100 and, for the first time, the device

accounted for over 50 percent of the work-




shop’s sales. From that point onwards,

it served as the commercial bedrock of

Bosch.

However, the first Bosch magneto ignition

devices had one major flaw that initially

prevented any further expansion of this

field. As a consequence of their design,

they were only suitable for low-speed sta-

tionary engines. Engines of this type were

used to drive machinery in factories and

mills, for example, where their size and

weight were of next to no significance.

The sheer size of these engines meant they

were able to generate enough power to

fulfill their purpose even at low speeds

of around 120 revolutions per minute. In

the years that followed, their speed was

increased to some 200 to 300 revolutions

per minute, but this was as fast as magne-

tos of this kind could go. They were simply

not suitable for the smaller, faster engines

that were required for the modern vehicles

of the age, such as motorized carriages,

bicycles, and three-wheelers. These new

engines were capable of achieving speeds

of over 1,000 revolutions per minute.

Magneto ignition in automobiles

In 1897, the English automotive pioneer

Frederick Richard Simms sent a three-

wheeler manufactured by the French

company De Dion-Bouton to Stuttgart,

with the request that it be fitted with a

magneto ignition device. Doubting Simms’s

claim that the engine could run at some

600 revolutions per minute, Robert Bosch

and his master craftsman Arnold Zähringer

decided to test it for themselves. As it

happened, the only person brave enough

to undertake the first test run on this unu-

sually speedy machine was Max Rall, an

apprentice who later became a member

of the board of management. He promptly

crashed into a stack of empty wine barrels

belonging to the neighboring wine mer-

chant Hirsch. A further attempt on the open

road revealed that the engine was actually

capable of reaching around 1,800 rpm.

One thing was now abundantly clear: in its

current form, the magneto ignition device

would never be capable of achieving such

speeds. However, with neither Bosch nor

Zähringer prepared to give up so easily,

Zähringer was finally struck by an ingenious

idea. Instead of the heavy armature, he

came up with the startlingly simple solution

of a smaller, oscillating sleeve inside the

magneto.

Many drivers were now keen to replace the

unreliable ignition systems currently fitted

in their vehicles with this new Bosch sys-

Left:

Bosch model MR low-voltage

magneto ignition device, 1898

Right:

Bosch developed magneto ignition

systems for vehicles such as this

motorized three-wheeler built byHeinle & Wegelin, featuring a back

seat and trailer, 1897.



Robert Bosch | 35

tem. To ensure prompt supplies for his

customers outside Germany, Bosch and

Simms jointly set up the first Bosch sales

office in London in 1898. This served the

U.K. market, and further offices were estab-

lished in France and Austria the following

year.

“I am a houseowner now”

With business taking off across Europe,

it was now possible – and indeed neces-

sary – to increase the level of investment

in Stuttgart. In 1900, Robert Bosch pur-

chased an apartment building in Militär-

strasse (now Breitscheidstrasse), not far

from his existing workshop premises. In

letters to his friends, he proudly announced

that he was now a “houseowner” and pre-

dicted that his investment would pay off

within just a few years. The card up his

sleeve: attached to the building was a

sizeable lawn where he intended to build

a new factory.

Robert Bosch was careful to ensure that his

new factory reflected his own ideas. It was

the first structure in Stuttgart to be built

using reinforced concrete, a real innovation

at that time. In addition, Bosch paid close

attention to the design of the workspace

within the building. Large windows ensured

there was enough light, for example, while

a sophisticated ventilation system kept the

air fresh. On April 1, 1901, Bosch and his

Top:

Advertisement for the

Bosch magneto ignition

system placed by Bosch’sAustrian sales agents

Dénes und Friedmann,

c. 1905

Below, left:

French advertisement

for the Bosch automotive

lighting system, featuring

headlights, generator,

voltage regulator, and

battery, 1914

Below, right:

Test drive of the firstBosch company car, with

Gustav Klein, Gottlob

Honold, Ernst Ulmer,

Arnold Zähringer (from

left to right), 1907




Above from left to right:

Robert Bosch at the

official opening ceremony

for the factory in Paris,shown together with

associates and business

partners, among them

Frederic Simms (fifth

from right), 1905

Entrance and lobby

of the factory in Paris,

c. 1906

Group photo of impor-

tant Bosch associates of

the early years: Gustav

Klein, Gottlob Honold,Ernst Ulmer, and Hugo

Borst (from left to right),

1906

45 associates moved into the new building,

whose name – “Elektrotechnische Fabrik

Robert Bosch” (Robert Bosch Electrical

Engineering Factory) – was emblazoned

down the exterior of the stairwell in large

letters.

High voltage

That day also marked the return of Gottlob

Honold. Having completed his apprentice-

ship, he had left Bosch in order to work as

a technician at other companies. After then

studying in Stuttgart and carrying out his

military service, he bumped into his former

mentor, who persuaded him to return to

Bosch as an engineer. Robert Bosch set up

a new laboratory for Honold in the court-

yard of the new factory, and set him the

task of finding a way to dispense with the

failure-prone break-spark rodding used in

the magneto ignition device. The rodding

was the cause of frequent problems and,

as it had to be adapted to each individual

engine, it was also extremely complicated

to manufacture.

Despite numerous failed attempts, Honold

persisted in his efforts to find a solution.

He finally developed a high-voltage magneto

ignition system that used spark plugs

instead of the unreliable break-spark rod-

ding. When Honold unveiled the first proto-

type in December 1901, Robert Bosch was

clearly impressed, declaring: “You have hit

the bull’s eye!”



Robert Bosch | 37

Worldwide growth

The company now entered a period of rapid

growth. Both the older low-voltage magneto

ignition device and the new high-voltage

system sold like hot cakes worldwide.

Although only just built, the new factory

was soon bursting at the seams and Bosch

had to constantly expand his premises in

the west of Stuttgart. In 1905, he was able

to inaugurate the company’s second pro-

duction location together with his most

important associates and business part-

ners: a factory in Paris, set up as a joint

venture with Frederick Simms. However,

with tensions already existing between the

partners, the relationship soon deterio-

rated. Bosch was increasingly dissatisfied

with the Englishman’s business practices

and wanted them to go their separate ways

as soon as possible. He even considered

selling his company to Simms lock, stock

and barrel, including the joint ventures in

England and France.

Bosch appointed a friend of Honold’s

named Gustav Klein to handle the negotia-

tions. In 1906, Bosch finally cut all ties

with Simms and assumed sole responsibil-

ity for sales operations in what were then

the primary markets – England and France.

He was now in a position to take the plunge

and enter the transatlantic market. Armed

with a list of key American automakers,

Gustav Klein set off for the U.S. in 1906.

Robert Bosch later described the trip by

Klein and his colleagues as a real “triumph.”In just a few weeks, Klein managed to

secure orders worth more than 1 million

dollars. Over the next few years, business

with the U.S. went through the roof and

Robert Bosch decided to set up his own

manufacturing site in Springfield, Massa-

chusetts, to circumvent high import duties

and reduce transportation costs. In just a

few short years, the U.S. had become by far

the most important sales market for Bosch.

Robert Bosch AG

The outbreak of the first world war in the

summer of 1914 was an unmitigated catas-

trophe for Bosch. The vast majority of the

company’s key foreign markets vanished

in one fell swoop and most of Germany’s

wartime enemies seized not only the com-

pany’s tangible assets, but also its indus-

trial property rights, patents, and brands.

The war also affected Robert Bosch deeply

on a personal level. As early as 1912, when

the Balkan crisis had been threatening to

destroy peace in Europe, he had written to

a friend, saying: “I would willingly pay ten

million marks if it meant I could prevent a

war.” As if to compound these business and

political difficulties, Bosch was also faced

with increasingly trying times in his private

life. The serious illness that had afflicted his

son was weighing heavily on both Bosch

and his wife. When Robert Bosch also fell

ill, his own concerns and those of his key

associates prompted him to address the

question of who should succeed him at the

helm of the company. He therefore decided

to change the company into a stock corpo-

ration. Robert Bosch became the chairman

of the supervisory council of Robert BoschAG and increasingly left responsibility for

the day-to-day running of the company to

his board of management.

Below left:

Camille Jenatzy driving

his Mercedes at the

Gordon Bennett Race

in Ireland, 1903. The

Belgian race driver was

later reincarnated as the

“Red Devil,” the legen-

dary Bosch advertising

figure.

Below right:

Poster for spark plugs

showing the “Red Devil,”

1913




The years that changed everything

Rationalization, diversification,and agreements

The company founder

Robert Bosch at the age

of 67

by Christine Siegel



Robert Bosch | 39

The years after the first world war were

a time of considerable challenge for the

company, as well as of personal tragedy

for Robert Bosch. This period was over-

shadowed by the death not only of Bosch’s

first-born son Robert in 1921, but also

of several close associates who had long

played an active role in the successful

development of the company.

The company was also hit hard by the

unstable political climate and economic

upheavals. In addition, the lack of orders

from abroad was felt all too keenly follow-

ing the end of the war, particularly since

Bosch had generated the majority of its

pre-1914 sales outside Germany. In the

period up to 1918, Germany’s former war-

time enemies had been busy building up

their own automotive supply industries,

and these were now serious competitors

for Bosch in the global market.

New strategies

Robert Bosch and his senior management

drew up a number of strategies in response

to these challenges. In order to win back

the markets outside Germany, Bosch rees-

tablished contacts with business partners

from the pre-war period, wherever this

was possible. In 1921, the creation of the

Bosch Car Service resulted in vehicle serv-

ice stations being set up worldwide and

helped to spread the reputation of Bosch

products right around the globe. That sameyear, Robert Bosch undertook a journey to

South America to explore the potential of

this region’s markets. The automotive indus-

try there was undergoing a veritable boom.

In Buenos Aires, he laid the foundation

stone for a sales office that would coordi-

nate sales of Bosch products, not only

in Argentina but also throughout South

America.

Expansion of the product portfolio

Until the mid-1920s, the Bosch product

portfolio had been limited to automotive

equipment. In addition to ignition systems

and automotive lighting, Bosch had also

extended the company’s research and

production activities to include new areas.

Horns, batteries, servo brakes, windshield

wipers, and turn signals became part of the

Bosch range. At the same time, the diesel

engine was generating increasing interest

within the automotive industry. With much

lower flammability, diesel fuel posed less

of a fire risk than gasoline. In addition, the

diesel engine consumed less fuel than its

gasoline-powered counterpart. Recognizing

the potential in this field, Bosch tested

prototype injection pumps for diesel

engines in 1923 and 1924. The fully devel-

oped product went into series production

at the end of November 1927. The first

customer was M.A.N.

Rationalization and crisis

This expansion of the product portfolio

came in response to the increasing com-

petitive pressure exerted by the industries

that had developed outside Germany. How-ever, in order to maintain a strong position

in the market, it was also necessary to

rationalize production processes, and in

The two decades that followed the first world war brought dramatic changes

to Bosch as a company. Economic turmoil and fundamental shifts in the

geopolitical situation meant Bosch had to develop new strategies that wouldequip the company for the future, while still retaining its traditional standards

of quality. Assembly-line work, an expansion of the product portfolio, and

international joint ventures enabled the company to successfully carve a new

niche for itself against this backdrop of change.




Assembly-line workers

producing spark plugs,

1925

this way to make them more economical.

Accordingly, assembly-line production was

also introduced in Stuttgart from 1925.

Yet before these measures had a chance

to take proper effect, a major crisis rocked

the automotive industry to its core. In the

period between 1925 and 1926, sales

dropped by 35 percent. Many associates

had to be laid off and work in the plants

was cut back to just three days a week.

These rationalization measures also

affected the company’s senior executives.

The company’s board of management was

stripped back from eleven members to just

three members and three deputies. Reshuf-

fling the board of management now gave

Robert Bosch opportunity to place respon-

sibility for the company in the hands of a

triumvirate, effectively a board of directors,

comprising Hans Walz (commercial affairs),

Hermann Fellmeth (engineering), and Karl

Martell Wild (sales and human resources).

They were charged with the task of continu-

ing to run the company – then known as

Robert Bosch AG – in accordance with the

principles and wishes of its founder.

Although health problems meant Bosch

now felt unable to fulfill this role himself,

he was still eager to provide support and

advice to the new board of directors.

Cooperation and licenses

Rationalization was just one of the ways

in which Robert Bosch and his board of

management aimed to tackle the challenges

posed by the unsettled economic climate

and increased competition. Another option

was to diversify by expanding beyond the

automotive market. Robert Bosch wrote

in 1927: “We ourselves are trying to move

away from automotive work if we can, or,

to be more precise, to add more strings to

our bow.”

By acquiring a number of companies and

expanding production into new areas, it

took Robert Bosch AG only a few short

years to transform itself from a supplier

of automotive parts into an electrical engi-

neering group. The product that launched

this new era was the Forfex hair trimmer,

a power tool with a motor in the handle. It

was to become the precursor of drills and



Robert Bosch | 41

hammer drills. 1933 heralded the market

launch of the very first Bosch refrigerator,

while the purchase of the Junkers gas-fired

appliance manufacturing business in 1932

saw Bosch enter the heating systems busi-

ness. The company also made additional

acquisitions in the fields of radio, television,

and film and camera technology.

Alongside rationalization and diversifica-

tion, the company management instituted a

policy of cooperation with competitors both

in and outside Germany in order to secure

its position on the international stage.

In 1924, Bosch merged with Eisemann, a

Stuttgart-based company that manufac-

tured products of a very similar nature.

Four years later, in 1928, production opera-

tions got under way at a new joint venture,

Lavalette-Bosch, near Paris. In 1931, the

first products manufactured by C.A.V-Bosch

rolled off the production line in London.

C.A.V. was a subsidiary of the British Bosch

competitor Joseph Lucas Ltd. The German-

Italian operation MABO was founded in

1935 as the last in a series of European

joint ventures that relieved competitive

pressure and allowed Bosch to avoid high

import duties. High customs tariffs alsoprompted Bosch to grant licenses to local

companies in Japan, Australia, and Argen-

tina, permitting them to manufacture Bosch

products.

Although the company was very much

on course economically by the mid-1930s,

conditions under the National Socialist

dictatorship weighed heavily on Robert

Bosch. The regime’s discrimination against

Jewish citizens, coupled with the prospect

of another war and a renewed loss of

foreign markets, alarmed not only Robert

Bosch, but also his board of management.

By this time, Robert Bosch had already

chosen Hans Walz as a worthy successor,

and as a man capable of running the busi-

ness in his spirit and according to his prin-

ciples. In the period after 1926, Hans Walz

had increasingly assumed the role of man-

aging director and designated “next in line.”

In a letter to Walz written in 1940, Robert

Bosch wrote: “What would have become

of the company, what would have become

of me had you not been there over the last

twenty years!”

After the outbreak of the second world

war, Robert Bosch relinquished more and

more of his responsibility for the company.

His death in 1942 meant he did not live to

witness the production of ever more arma-

ments, the massive use of forced labor, and

the ultimate destruction of his plants byAllied bombs. In the words of his biogra-

pher Theodor Heuss: “That was a merciful

blessing.”

By diversifying into new

product areas at the

beginning of the 1930s,

the automotive supplier

Bosch was transformed

into an electrical engi-

neering company.




For Robert Bosch, it was extremely important that his associates should be

able to apply their skills and use their potential to the full. As a socially-minded

entrepreneur, he was committed not only to giving his associates the best

possible opportunities to advance their careers, but also to improving their

working and living conditions. This made him a father figure to his associates.

by Christine Siegel

“Associates,” not wage earners

Robert Bosch as an employer



Robert Bosch | 43

Left:

Engineers from the

injection-pump testing

department photo-

graphed on the load

area of a Benz truck

at the Stuttgart plant,

together with RobertBosch (front), 1926

Below, from left ro right:

The director of the spark

plug plant in Feuerbach,

Paul Grundler (left),

takes Robert Bosch on an

inspection tour through

production, 1941.

When Robert Bosch and his modest

workforce of just two associates moved

into his first small workshop in Stuttgart’s

Rotebühlstrasse in 1886, they did so under

the curious gaze of a four-year-old boy

who lived in the same building with his

parents. Young Otto Fischer observed every

single detail. Full of astonishment, he saw

the young man with the full beard set off

to visit his customers on his new-fangled

bicycle, and closely watched the techni-

cians at work. What he saw must have

made a lasting impression on him, for he

later decided to take up a technical appren-

ticeship.

Having completed his years as an appren-

tice and journeyman with flying colors,

Otto Fischer joined Bosch in 1905. As he

was not personally involved in this new

appointment, Robert Bosch was unaware

of his new associate. However, when he

learned of this latest addition through a

chance encounter with Otto Fischer, Bosch

visited him at his workplace in the test

workshop the very next day. Bosch contin-

ued to take a benevolent interest in the

young, talented technician. By the following

year, Fischer had already achieved the

position of master craftsman in the test

workshop. As a close associate of Gottlob

Honold, Fischer worked on improving the

spark plug and its applications in racing

cars and aircraft.

The benefits of responsibility

Robert Bosch felt it was very important

to maintain direct contact with his associ-

ates. Rather than simply earning a wage,

he wanted them to feel they were a part

of the bigger picture, fully integrated into

the business and its operations: “It has

also been an established principle of mine

to cultivate eager associates by letting

each individual work independently as far

as possible while at the same time delegat-

ing the responsibility that goes with the

task.” Ultimately, this willingness to assume

responsibility also brought financial ben-

efits. The associates at Bosch were paid

comparatively high wages. Robert Bosch

summed up this reciprocal relationship

in an essay dating from 1931: “I don’t pay

good wages because I have a lot of money.

I have a lot of money because I pay good

wages.”




However, having been given this responsi-

bility, associates had to prove themselves

worthy of it at all times. As a man who ran

a tight financial ship, Robert Bosch had

little patience for disorder at the workplace

or poor workmanship. During the early

years in the new factory, the usual response

to the question “Seen the ‘godfather’ today

yet?” was “No, but I have certainly heard

him.” Nonetheless, the nickname “god-

father” also reveals another side to Robert

Bosch: his awareness of his duty towards

his employees and their welfare. This was

a responsibility he took especially seriously.

In his business dealings, he never forgot

that the fate of an increasing number of

associates depended on the fortunes of his

company. In periods of crisis in particular,

this burden of responsibility weighed heav-

ily on Robert Bosch. As the company devel-

oped into a large industrial enterprise and

it became impossible to maintain a personal

relationship with each and every associate,

Robert Bosch’s own direct commitment

to associate welfare was replaced by a

comprehensive in-company program of

social benefits.

Motivation and identification

Ever since its establishment, exemplary

working conditions and a good work envi-

ronment had been the hallmarks of the

company. Robert Bosch knew very well

how these factors affected his associates’

motivation and, in the end, the profitability

of the company as a whole. In 1906, he was

one of the first employers to introduce the

eight-hour working day. However, this move

was motivated not simply by concern for

the social welfare of the associates, but

also by sound business sense. Under this

system, associates worked more effectively,

were more motivated, and managed the

same amount of work in a shorter period

of time. In addition, it was now possible to

introduce a two-shift system.

Thirteen years later, the associate news-

paper “Bosch-Zünder” was launched to

motivate associates and help them identify

with the company. The first edition, pub-

lished on March 15, 1919, announced:

“This newspaper was born out of a wish

to involve the people who work for us more

in the day-to-day life, the fate, the anxieties,

and the hopes of the company – the com-

pany in which they have placed their trust,

to which they devote their strength, knowl-

edge and ability, and whose future they

Above, from left to right:

Chance meeting:

associates from the light

plant in Feuerbach, on a

company outing in Ulm,

suddenly encountered

the company founder

Robert Bosch, 1936.

Motivation for associates:

in-company advertise-

ment featuring quota-

tions of Robert Bosch,

1943



Robert Bosch | 45

share.” Even today, this remains the main

objective of the associate newspaper, which

is now published in nine languages.

However, social benefits were not limited

to those associates currently employed

by the company. In 1929, the company

launched Bosch-Hilfe, a retirement and

surviving dependents’ providence fund

intended to provide support to employees

and their relatives. On its introduction,

this scheme was backdated to cover the

period to January 1, 1927. The foundation

of Bosch-Hilfe e.V. marks the start of the

company’s schemes to provide its employ-

ees with a guaranteed pension.

Fortunate choices

Concern for the welfare of his associates

also led Robert Bosch to establish a sepa-

rate apprentice training department in

1913. As someone who had been deeply

disappointed by his own apprenticeship

and the commitment – or lack of it – shown

by his master, Bosch was determined to do

things better in his own company. In the

small artisan workshop where the company

had spent its earliest years, he only ever

employed two apprentices at any one time

and was careful to ensure they received

comprehensive training. As a result of the

increasing rationalization of work proc-

esses, more specialists and fewer “all-

rounders” had to repeatedly perform the

same task. Nonetheless, Bosch wanted

his apprentices to continue to have an

all-round training program, and so he

brought them together in the newly-formed

apprentice training department. One of

the people who responded to the advertise-

ment for a new head of the apprentices’

workshop, August Utzinger, was an old

acquaintance of Robert Bosch, whom

he had met and come to respect during

his journeyman’s travels. He proved an

extremely fortunate addition to this new

department.

In selecting Utzinger, as well as many of

his other key associates, Robert Bosch

demonstrated a real “Midas touch.”

Together with people such as Gottlob

Honold, the head of development responsi-

ble for numerous technological innovations,

and Gustav Klein, the driving force behind

the process of internationalization, Bosch

was able to build up a successful industrial

enterprise. Today, the company is still

staffed by people who see themselves as

“associates,” and not merely as wage or

salary earners – just as Robert Bosch

intended.

To celebrate the 50th

anniversary of the

company, a procession

was organized in which

all associates partici-

pated.




The visionary

Pathbreaking: Robert Bosch

(third from left) at the

opening of the Robert Bosch

Hospital, 1940



Robert Bosch | 47




Education and healthcare

The civic initiatives of Robert Bosch

Independence, family tradition, and an early concern with contemporary

social issues formed the roots of the civic initiatives championed by Robert

Bosch. At the same time, he was well aware that he could not put his vision of

corporate social responsibility into practice unless his company was profitable.

Accordingly, he saw himself not as a benefactor, but as a “socially minded

businessman.”

by Dr. Sabine Lutz



Robert Bosch | 49

In 1935, in the guidelines for the executors

of his will, Robert Bosch outlined what his

civic initiatives aimed to achieve: “It is my

intention, apart from the alleviation of all

kinds of hardship, to promote the moral,

physical, and intellectual development of

the people.”

“The alleviation of all kinds of hardship”

Robert Bosch’s actions during the first

world war in particular are clear evidence

of his willingness to make generous dona-

tions in times of dire need. In the very

first year of the war, he donated over

400,000 German marks to the City of

Stuttgart, most of which was used to help

war orphans. With space urgently needed

for a field hospital, Robert Bosch made

halls available in his newly constructed

“light plant” in Feuerbach near Stuttgart.

As a result, no generators were actually

assembled in the building until two years

after its completion.

In addition to his efforts to provide shelter

for the wounded, Robert Bosch was also

concerned about the living conditions of

workers and their families. The general

shortage of housing meant rents were

unaffordable for most of these families.

As a result, most of them lived in horribly

cramped and miserable conditions. The

Schwäbische Siedlungsverein was a non-

profit organization that sought to promote

the construction of affordable housing.

When it was set up in 1915, Robert Bosch

contributed a full two-thirds of its initial

funding of 1.5 million German marks.

In view of the widespread hardship and

suffering caused by the war, Robert Bosch

did not want to profit from the income

generated by armaments contracts. This

prompted him to set up his largest chari-

table foundation: “When the war came and

brought with it new military contracts, [...]

it appalled me to think that I was making

Left:

View into a patient room

at the Robert Bosch

Hospital, 1940. Robert

Bosch (right) is standing

on the balcony.

Top left:

Robert Bosch delivering

his address at the open-ing of the Robert Bosch

Hospital, 1940

Top right:

Construction of the

Neckar Canal near

Heilbronn, 1932.

Photograph: ullsteinbild




In the field of higher education, the primary

beneficiary of these activities was what is

now the University of Stuttgart. Based on

his own personal experience and his years

as an entrepreneur, he knew only too well

the importance of educating young people

with a flair for technology. Established in

1910, his first major foundation used the

ten million marks at its disposal to provide

generous support to research and teaching

at what was then the Stuttgart Polytechnic.

He played a key role in setting up the

“Vereinigung der Freunde der Technischen

Hochschule” (Association of Friends of

the Polytechnic) in 1923. He provided the

financial backing for the association and

also acted as its chairman.

Alongside his interest in improving condi-

tions at universities and colleges, Robert

Bosch also wanted gifted schoolchildren to

have the opportunity to study. To that end,

he founded and donated two million marks

to the “Förderung der Begabten” society in

1916. From 1932 onwards, he also covered

the costs of the Markel-Stiftung, a founda-

money while others were sacrificing

their lives. At the end of 1916, I decided

to use any profits from the war to set up

a foundation to support the construction

of the Neckar Canal.” Although the City of

Stuttgart had long harbored plans to canal-

ize the River Neckar to improve shipping,

the project had been postponed due to

lack of funds. Robert Bosch donated twenty

million marks to this project. With work

scheduled to begin after the war, thirteen

million marks were set aside for the con-

struction of the Neckar Canal itself, while

the interest from the endowment as a

whole was donated to the city authorities

for the purpose of relieving social depriva-

tion.

“Promote intellectual development”

With Robert Bosch showing a keen interest

in education throughout his life, it is hardly

surprising that it became one of the main

beneficiaries of his endowment activities.

In addition to schools, colleges, and univer-

sities, he also focused on vocational train-

ing and adult education.

Left:

Wounded patients and

nursing staff at the field

hospital set up at the light

plant in Feuerbach, 1915



Robert Bosch | 51

tion that awarded grants to gifted individ-

uals, which had lost its main source of

financial support due to the death of its

founder. Robert Bosch was also particularly

committed to expanding adult education,

as evidenced by his involvement in the

“Verein zur Förderung der Volksbildung”

(Society to Support Public Education)

managed by his friend Theodor Bäuerle.

A pioneer in its field, the association had,

among other things, taken over responsibil-

ity for the new Stuttgart adult education

center. For Bosch, education was more

than just the accumulation of knowledge.

It also meant developing the ability “to

make the right political decisions and to

recognize false doctrines as such.” In the

politically turbulent era of the Weimar

Republic, Robert Bosch wanted more than

ever to play his part in promoting a basic

understanding of democracy based on

the “recognition of the rights and merits

of others.” This view also underpinned

his decision to support the university of

political science run by the liberal politician

Friedrich Naumann, as well as the

“Deutsche Liga für den Völkerbund”

(German Federation for the League of

Nations) founded by Matthias Erzberger.

“Promote physical development”

When it came to healthcare, Robert Bosch

was a dedicated supporter of alternative

medicine. In the period from 1915 to 1916,

he supplied a total of three million marks

to help achieve his ambition of setting up a

homeopathic hospital. In 1936, he marked

the double celebration of his 75th birthday

and the company’s 50th anniversary by

donating a further 5.5 million marks to this

project. Robert Bosch’s civic initiatives

during his lifetime reached their pinnacle

with the opening of the Robert Bosch

Hospital in Stuttgart in 1940, two years

before his death.

He also made sure that these activities

continued. In accordance with his will,

Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable

foundation set up in 1964, carries on his

work to promote and support the sciences,

health, international understanding, and

education in contemporary form.

Left:

The Bundesverdienstkreuz

(Federal Cross of Merit)

is conferred to Marianne

Weber, 1967. Ms. Weber

had worked closely with

Theodor Bäuerle, whose

efforts to promote adult

education in Germany werestrongly supported by

Robert Bosch.

Right:

Certificate of appointment

of Robert Bosch to honorary

doctor, honorary senator,

and freeman of the Stuttgart

Polytechnic, 1941




The healing power of nature

Homeopath and “lifestyle reformer”

There is an element of Lebensreform philosophy in Robert Bosch’s support

of alternative medicine. His sympathy for the views of this “lifestyle reform”

movement is also reflected in his preference for woolen clothing. Yet Bosch

was not dogmatic in his views on the causes of illness and what constituted

a healthy lifestyle. Despite his staunch support for homeopathy, he was also

open to other forms of treatment, even conventional medicine. Today, the

Robert Bosch Hospital and the Institute for the History of Medicine still stand

testament to his commitment in the field of healthcare.

On September 22, 1941, the Stuttgart

City Council decided to present Robert

Bosch with a plot of land to mark his 80th

birthday. With Bosch already holding the

Freedom of the City of Stuttgart, this new

honor recognized his “lasting services […]

to the science of homeopathy and natural

remedies, and to promoting good health

among the general populace.” This plot of

land was to be used to build a museum that

would “bring to life the work of Paracelsus

and the other great names in alternative

medicine.” But this was not the only honor

conferred on Robert Bosch on his 80th

birthday. To mark the same occasion, the

Faculty of Medicine at the University of

Tübingen awarded him an honorary doctor-

ate.

The contrast between these two honors

could hardly be more striking. While the

first was awarded in recognition of Robert

Bosch’s contribution to alternative medi-

cine, the second was an acclamation from

an institute of conventional medicine.

Prof. Dr. Gustav Jäger

(1832 – 1917) in woolen

clothing

by Prof. Dr. Robert Jütte



Robert Bosch | 53

Drawing of the

Homeopathic

Hospital in Stuttgart(draft), 1914

What is the common denominator? The

historian Golo Mann may have the answer:

the “workings of the living spirit of the

individual,” he says, follow no hard and

fast rules. Sometimes, he adds, certain

things are required to co-exist even though

“they appear to be at complete odds with

each another.” Yet this still leaves a second

fundamental question unanswered. What

was it that attracted an industrialist like

Robert Bosch to such an area of activity –

one that had no bearing on his company

at the time? As is so often the case, the

answer can be found in his upbringing and

family environment.

In harmony with nature

An excerpt from Robert Bosch’s memoirs

sheds further light on this: “My father was

himself a dedicated follower of homeopa-

thy. Even as a young boy, I never received

anything other than alternative treatments.

I am extremely sensitive to all types of

medicine and have discovered that homeo-

pathic medicines have a strong effect on

me, even when diluted by a factor of one

thousand.”

When he wrote these words, Robert Bosch

was by no means alone in his criticism of

conventional medicine. Even in the second

third of the 19th century, there were still

only very few treatments that would be

considered effective today, such as using

quinine to treat fever. It is therefore hardly

surprising that hundreds of thousands of

people shared this critical view of medicine.

When Robert Bosch attended lectures

at Stuttgart Polytechnic in 1883/84, the

man who impressed him most was not an

electrical engineer, but a physician. After

many years of research, Prof. Gustav Jäger

(1832 – ) had come to the conclusion that

wool was better for the human skin than

vegetable fibers. The “Normalkleidung für

Herren” (woolen clothing for men) advo-

cated by Prof. Jäger consisted of

garments made of breathable animal wool.

It was also through Jäger that Bosch be-

came familiar with the principles of theLebensreform movement, whose slogan

was “Back to nature!” In addition to natural




remedies, the movement’s followers advo-

cated a more natural lifestyle, a combina-

tion of modern and “natural” agriculture,

and a meat-free diet, as they believed this

would counteract what they saw as the

negative impact of the economic and social

changes of the 19th century. Like Hermann

Göhrum (1861 – 1945), the man who would

later become his family doctor and whom

he first met in 1890 at an evening organized

by followers of Gustav Jäger, Robert Bosch

embraced these principles early on and

much preferred to wear the clothing advo-

cated by this movement. Robert Bosch’s

love of nature therefore clearly also owes

something to the ideas of the Lebensreform

movement. And these ideas were again in

evidence when he became an employer, and

placed great importance on ensuring that

his factories had sufficient ventilation and

decent lighting conditions.

The homeopathic hospital

Even though he has been accused of it on

occasion, Robert Bosch was by no means

dogmatic in his views about the causes

of illness and what constituted a healthy

lifestyle. While he was a keen advocate

of homeopathy, he was also open to other

methods of treatment, including conven-

tional medicine. In his memoirs he com-

mented: “When I say that I owe much to

homeopathy, that does not mean I believe

illnesses should be treated using only

alternative methods.”

Nonetheless, Robert Bosch’s debt of

gratitude to homeopathy is reflected in

the institutions or projects to which he

granted his patronage. In 1915, he donated

a total of three million German marks to

the construction of a homeopathic hospital

near his home at the time (later the Robert

Bosch House), but the war put a stop to

the project. In 1920, with the economic

Top left:

Patient in a galvanic bath,

c. 1940

Top right:

Lab technician at the

Robert Bosch Hospital,

c. 1940



Robert Bosch | 55

crisis making any plan to build a new

hospital inconceivable, plans were instead

made to set up a homeopathic “interim

hospital” on Marienstrasse. Just as he

had earlier helped to fund a homeopathic

field hospital during the war, Robert Bosch

once again stepped in to offer financial

support. It was not until April 1940 that

he was able to see his plan finally come

to fruition with the opening of the homeo-

pathic hospital that bore his name – the

Robert Bosch Hospital in Stuttgart.

As early as 1925, Robert Bosch had

founded Hippokrates Verlag, a medical

publishing company that would be “dedi-

cated to no one single school of medical

thought.” The aim was to promote dialogue

between conventional and alternative

medicine. However, Bosch was interested

not only in the practical use of homeo-

pathy in combination with other forms

of complementary medicine (such as

the Bircher diet and hydrotherapy), but

also in the history of natural medicine

as a whole and of homeopathy in particu-

lar. In 1926, Robert Bosch purchased a

valuable collection of texts on the history

of homeopathy from Richard Haehl

(1873 – 1932), a physician based in

Stuttgart. Together with the Paracelsus-

Bibliothek, a library funded largely by

Robert Bosch, this collection was to form

the basis of a museum dedicated to the

history of natural medicine. Unfortunately,

the second world war put a stop to these

plans. Today, both collections are housed

and available to the public in the Institute

for the History of Medicine in Stuttgart,

part of the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

View inside Richard Haehl’s private

“Hahnemannmuseum,” 1922

Robert Bosch in the pharmacy of the

Robert Bosch Hospital, 1940




Liberal politics andsocial responsibilityRobert Bosch and politics

Robert Bosch’s political views were shaped

early on by his liberal upbringing. His father

Servatius was a staunch advocate of civil

liberties and the rule of law. These inher-

ited views were further consolidated during

his journeyman’s travels, particularly his

time in the U.S. between 1884 and 1885.

Yet even here, in the “cradle of democracy,”

Robert Bosch felt a lack of what he consid-

ered “the cornerstone of justice – equality

before the law.”

After returning to Germany and setting up

his own business, Bosch for some time

enjoyed a close relationship with his neigh-

bor Karl Kautsky, the social democrat

politician. It was during this time that

Bosch, who was unconvinced by the

economic theories of Marx and Engels,

fully developed his vision of what a

socially minded entrepreneur should be.

Robert Bosch initially opted not to join

the Verband Württembergischer Metall-

industrieller, a syndicate formed in 1907

whose members were entrepreneurs from

the metal industry in the Württemberg

region. This conscious decision to maintain

a degree of distance, coupled with his

well-known socialist leanings, the above-

average wages paid to his associates,

and the social benefits provided by his

Robert Bosch’s liberal upbringing, his years as an apprentice, and the

journeyman’s travels that took him as far afield as the U.S. all played their part

in shaping the socially-minded businessman he later became. A pacifist and

pan-European, he was particularly committed to reconciliation between

Germany and France following the first world war. The final years of his life,

when he was an opponent of National Socialism, were overshadowed by the

Bosch Group’s entanglement in the Third Reich’s rearmament and warmon-

gering policies. Bosch and his company directors supported resistance to

the Nazi regime and helped to rescue Jewish associates and others facing

persecution.

by Prof. Dr. Joachim Rogall



Robert Bosch | 57

Robert Bosch conversing

with Leo Hausleiter, a

Munich newspaper

editor, 1932

company all earned him the nickname

“Bosch the red” among his peers.

However, the rapid growth of his company

made it more and more difficult to maintain

the tricky balance between his economic

responsibilities as a major entrepreneur

and his social principles. “Bosch the red,”

of all people, found himself the target of a

strike in 1913. In his memoirs, the company

founder wrote: “An entrepreneur with a

social conscience simply got in the way.The left stirred up hatred against the right,

and the right against the left. But there

was hatred from both sides for those in the

middle – and that’s exactly where I was.”

Franco-German reconciliation

More than ever before, Robert Bosch criti-

cally examined his role as an entrepreneur

and as a member of society, and what

this meant in terms of his responsibility

for public welfare. As a result, not only did

his social commitment become stronger,

but also his political involvement. He was

a pacifist through and through. The loss of

close friends and associates killed in the

war and the deep gulf the conflict had

opened up between Germany and Francein particular prompted Bosch to become a

dedicated supporter of international rap-

prochement. He joined the German section

of the Committee for Franco-German




Robert Bosch together

with French veterans

of the first world warin Stuttgart, 1935

Relations and, in 1935, invited German and

French war veterans to Stuttgart under the

slogan “Pioniere des Friedens – Pionniers de

la Paix” (Pioneers of Peace).

Following the end of the German monarchy,

Robert Bosch saw it as his task to defend

the newly founded Weimar Republic against

its numerous political opponents in

Germany. He believed the key to this lay

in promoting the general welfare of the

people, adult education, and internationalunderstanding. Accordingly, he also backed

Count Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi’s vision

of a pan-European confederation of states.

For his part, Count Coudenhove-Kalergi

described Bosch as a “Pan-European for

moral, rather than economic reasons, […]

seeking not to sell his goods better in other

countries, but to protect Europe from

another war.”

Robert Bosch also supported the reformist

views of the national liberal Friedrich

Naumann, particularly his German univer-

sity for political science, which sought to

bring together academics and practitionersto teach politics in an environment free

from the influence of the state.



Robert Bosch | 59

An entrepreneur under National Socialism

The National Socialists assumed power in

January 1933. In September of the same

year, Robert Bosch was invited to attend

a meeting with German Chancellor Adolf

Hitler. However, his hopes of finding sympa-

thy for his political ideas were soon dashed.

Hitler merely harangued him with his own

views and, repulsed by the dictator’s ideas,

Bosch returned to Stuttgart in heavy spirits:

“This individual wants to be a statesman

and doesn’t know what justice is!”

In order to alleviate the pressure the new

regime was exerting on the company, the

director Hans Walz and two other members

of the board of management became offi-

cial members of the Nazi party (NSDAP).

In its everyday dealings with the regime,

however, Bosch ensured that objections

to the National Socialists’ anti-Jewish

policies were raised in the Reich Ministry

of Economics. Moreover, Bosch took on

Jewish youngsters as apprentices and gave

jobs to others facing persecution under

the regime. Financial support was given

to Jewish charities, and funds were made

available to allow imprisoned Jews to emi-

grate. Finally, people of “mixed descent”

were employed in vehicle-repair workshops

so they could be saved from deportation.

Since this work was classified as strategi-

cally vital for armaments production and

the war effort, these workers were deemed

indispensable. In 1969, on behalf of Bosch,

Hans Walz accepted the title of “Righteous

Among the Nations” bestowed by the Yad

Vashem Shrine of Remembrance in Israel in

recognition of these efforts to save people

of Jewish and mixed descent.

In 1937, Bosch brought Carl Goerdeler,

the former Lord Mayor of Leipzig who

would later become the civilian leader of

the resistance movement against Hitler,

into the company as an advisor. This

appointment led to the formation of a

liberal-conservative resistance cell, com-

prising Goerdeler, the managing director

Hans Walz, Bosch’s private secretary Willy

Schlossstein, and other members of the

board of management.

Robert Bosch’s health had deteriorated

in the period since 1937. For him, the out-

break of war in 1939 was a catastrophe –

both on a personal level and for his country.

Much to the distress of his family, Robert

Bosch’s 80th birthday on September 23,

1941, and his death in March 1942 were

both pounced on by the Nazis for propa-

ganda purposes. Shortly before his death,

Bosch asked Theodor Heuss to write his

biography to ensure his true views would be

properly documented. Bosch had selected

the liberal Heuss for this task because he

came “from a background that enables him

to understand me and my nature.”

Left:

Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi

(left) and Robert Bosch at the

Paneuropa Conference in

Berlin, 1930

Right:

Friedrich Naumann

(1860 – 1919), founder of the

“Deutsche Hochschule für

Politik” (a private university

for the study of politics)

whose work was supported

by Robert BoschPhotograph: ullsteinbild




In his will, Robert Bosch stipulated that the company was to be carried on

after his death in a manner reflective of his wishes. The will paved the way

for today’s corporate constitution. This constitution is based on the founder’s

wishes that the company should secure its lasting entrepreneurial freedom,

retain links to the Bosch family, and use its dividends to support charitable

and social causes.



Robert Bosch | 61

It was Robert Bosch’s dearest wish that

the company should continue to show a

“strong and meaningful development” after

his death. This was not simply a matter of

maintaining and administering the status

quo, but also one of growing and actively

shaping the future. Since he wanted to

avoid disputes about who should succeed

him, the question of how to secure the

company’s long-term success was one

that concerned him from an early stage.

His first attempt to find a solution to this

question – the foundation of Robert Bosch

AG in 1917 – proved to be unfeasible in the

long run. Accordingly, Bosch reversed his

decision. He repurchased the shares that

had been sold to the directors and, in 1937,

changed the legal form of the company to

that of a close corporation (GmbH). By that

time, the company had a workforce of over

18,000 associates.

His will

One year later, in 1938, Robert Bosch

drew up his will, which included guidelines

for his successors: “It is a matter dear to

my heart that Robert Bosch GmbH should

be safeguarded in its substance [...] for as

many future generations as possible, and

that it should remain at all times financially

independent, autonomous, and able to

take appropriate action.” In addition to the

long-term safeguarding of the company’s

future and its development potential, the

will’s main concerns were that lasting ties

should be maintained with Robert Bosch’s

descendants, and that a proportion of the

company’s profits be used for charitable

and social causes.

The trusted few

For these reasons, Robert Bosch left the

decision about the future of his company

in the hands of his closest and most trusted

confidants. When the time was right, it

Far left:

The former residence

of Robert Bosch, which

now houses the Robert

Bosch Stiftung, and

Bosch Haus Heidehof,

the new training and

conference center forBosch executives world-

wide, 2005

Below, left:

A meeting of the execu-

tors, 1954. Seated at

the head of the table are

Robert Bosch junior and

Hans Walz (second and

third from left).

Below, right:

Robert Bosch, March 2,

1942

His final wishes

The will of Robert Boschby Dieter Schmitt




was to be their responsibility to find a

sustainable solution that reflected Bosch’s

own wishes. Bosch selected seven men to

act as the executors of his will, including

Hans Walz, whom this same group of men

would later elect as their chairman. He

had joined the company as Robert Bosch’s

private secretary in 1912, and become a

member of the board of management in

1924. He had later taken on overall respon-

sibility for running the company and, over

the years, become Bosch’s closest advisor

on business matters and social issues. The

designated executors knew Bosch person-

ally and were familiar with his ideas and his

wishes. Robert Bosch also provided them

with detailed guidelines upon which to

base their decisions.

Robert Bosch died in Stuttgart in the early

hours of March 12, 1942, and his executors

assumed the responsibility of administering

his estate. They protected the company as

far as possible from any attempted inter-

ference by the National Socialists, and

managed to rebuild it after the devastation

caused by the second world war.

As he would have wished

The executors of Robert Bosch’s will not

only laid the foundation for today’s corpo-

rate constitution. They also found a way

of giving concrete expression to his will –

a distinctive solution that has stood the

test of time.

In 1921, Bosch had founded Vermögens-

verwaltung Bosch GmbH (Bosch Asset

Management) to administer his sharehold-

ings in the company. The long-term objec-

tive was that his charitable activities should

be pooled there. In 1964, this organization

acquired the majority of the capital stock

of Robert Bosch GmbH from the heirs of

the estate, transferring the voting rights

accruing to the capital stock to the newly

formed Robert Bosch Industriebeteiligung

GmbH (Robert Bosch Industrial Equities).

This in turn was the precursor of today’s

Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG (Robert

Bosch Industrial Trust), the body that there-

fore carries out the entrepreneurial func-

tions that would normally fall to the owner.

In 1969, Vermögensverwaltung Robert

Bosch changed its name to Robert Bosch

Stiftung GmbH (Robert Bosch Foundation),

thus underlining the social focus of its

activities. The foundation carries on the

charitable work of Robert Bosch in con-

temporary form and uses the dividend it

receives in a manner that reflects the spirit

“As a matter of principle, the executors [of my estate] are expected to

ensure that the business activities of Robert Bosch GmbH are carriedout and carried on in a manner reflective of my wishes, i. e. of my spirit

and will, i. e. to secure for these activities over a long period of time not

only their bare existence, but also a strong and meaningful develop-

ment to help them cope with the inevitable difficulties and crises of the

future. To achieve this end, no sacrifice may be considered too great.”



Robert Bosch | 63

of the company founder. In addition to

promoting projects in the fields of educa-

tion, healthcare, international relations,

society, culture, and science, the founda-

tion also owns the Robert Bosch Hospital

in Stuttgart.

Today, the Robert Bosch Stiftung holds

92 percent of the share capital of Robert

Bosch GmbH. Most of the remaining shares

are held by the Bosch family, while Robert

Bosch GmbH holds a one percent share.

The Bosch family thus retains close ties

with the company. As the family’s spokes-

person, Robert Bosch’s grandson Christof

Bosch is a member of the supervisory

council of Robert Bosch GmbH, a partner

in Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, and

a member of the board of trustees of the

Robert Bosch Stiftung.

Representing the final wishes of Robert

Bosch, the corporate constitution secures

the entrepreneurial freedom and financial

independence of the Bosch Group, as well

as its ability to take appropriate action.

Most of the earnings generated remain

within the company, where they are used

to secure the company’s future. This allows

the company to plan over the long term

and to invest in the future without borrow-

ing from the capital markets. By providing

for a dividend to be paid to the Robert

Bosch Stiftung, the constitution allows

the Stiftung to sustain its commitment to

charitable causes.

His legacy

In the time since Robert Bosch died, and

despite the occasional external crisis, the

company has developed – as the founder

would have wished – in a “strong and

meaningful” way. Preserving his legacy for

future generations is what Robert Bosch

wanted. It was his heartfelt wish that all

associates should play an active role in

giving this legacy concrete form.

On October 27, 1941, Robert Bosch

thanked his associates for their best wishes

on the occasion of his 80th birthday.

Written just a few months before his death,

these words of thanks were also his parting

words: “During my lifetime, I ask you to

share this spirit of dedication to our com-

mon cause. And after I am gone, continue

in this spirit, for the sake of each and every

associate, and for the sake of the company

that, as my life’s work, is so close to my

heart.”

Fritz von Graevenitz working

on his bust of Robert Bosch,

1940




The lasting legacy of Robert Bosch

“It’s part of the Bosch DNA.” This is how Franz Fehrenbach, the chairman of the Bosch board of

management, likes to reply whenever he is asked what the secret behind the outstanding innovative

strength of Bosch is. And he will generally add: “We have never stopped looking for even better

solutions.” This “Bosch spirit” is frequently equated with “corporate culture,” and closer inspection

reveals that much of it can be traced back to just one man – the company founder Robert Bosch.

Even many decades after his death in

1942, the values and way of thinking

embodied by Robert Bosch still permeate

a company that is present on every conti-

nent, and now employs more than 270,000

men and women. Neither revolutionary

technology, nor political upheavals, nor

even globalization have been able to do

lasting damage to these roots. But what

is the glue that holds Bosch – the company

and its founder– together? The answer

lies in the “Bosch DNA” – it is much more

important for the day-to-day running of

the company than people might generally

expect.

Success through perseverance

This is especially apparent when we con-

sider the force that has driven the company

ever since its foundation in 1886: technol-

ogy. Robert Bosch’s own involvement in the

company teaches us that the path from an

initial idea to a successful product can be a

long and difficult one. In 1920, for example,

there were plans to discontinue the devel-

opment of the oiler – a centrally located

lubricator for machines – because only

around 50,000 had been sold in twelve

years. Robert Bosch, however, rejected

this idea. In his view, halting this project

would have been an admission that they

had failed to make a success of this idea

despite more than a decade of unstinting

work. Bosch may also have had an inkling

that this technology would be a springboard

for other applications. Whatever the reason,

he was ultimately proved right. By 1922,

the annual production of oilers had reached

20,000. The experience gained in using a

pump for the precise injection of lubrication

oil at high pressure paved the way for the

development of diesel technology, which is

a main pillar of the Bosch portfolio to this

day.

And, in the later history of the company,

there is a further example of how a great

deal of tenacity and perseverance are

required to get new technologies off the

ground. In the mid-1950s, the Bosch

Group’s engineers had to decide how

electronic components could be used in

vehicles. Technologically, it was obvious

that electronics would allow ignition, for

by Andreas Kempf



Robert Bosch | 65

Corporate headquarters of Robert Bosch GmbH

at the Schillerhöhe in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart




example, to be maintenance-free, as well

as controlled much more accurately. And

as early as 1967, the first electronically

controlled system, the Jetronic gasoline

injection system, came onto the market.

But it was to take until the late 1970s

before this system and its successors –

L-Jetronic and Motronic – were able to be-

come fully established. This was because

most of Bosch’s customers in the automo-

tive industry initially preferred to stay with

K-Jetronic, a mechanically controlled sys-

tem. In this instance, much is owed to the

tenacity of Franz Fehrenbach’s predecessor

Hermann Scholl. Scholl is regarded at

Bosch – and beyond – as the father not only

of the electronic gasoline injection system,

but also of Bosch automotive electronics as

a whole. Without electronics, Bosch would

never have developed areas of business

such as engine management, transmission

control, or driver assistance systems such

as the ABS antilock braking system and the

ESP electronic stability program.

Consensus instead of confrontation

Entrepreneurial decisions can only be

implemented successfully if the workforce

can accept the chosen path. At Bosch,

the relationship between the workforce

on the one hand and the company and its

management on the other plays an espe-

cially important role. In the most recent

internal survey, four out of every five asso-

ciates said they were proud to work for

Bosch.

Even so, Bosch has always kept a tight

rein on its operations. For example, the

realization that shorter working hours also

mean better productivity led to the intro-

duction of the eight-hour working day in

1906. Output went up, while wage costs

decreased. As far as the workforce was

concerned, this marked the beginning of

a process of increasing productivity.

The relationship between management

and workforce has by no means always

been a harmonious one. Even the company

founder Robert Bosch – known as “Bosch

the red” by fellow businessmen – was faced

with strikes, despite paying good wages

for shorter working hours. In subsequent

decades, major industrial disputes – about

rationalization, for example, or the debate

about the 35-hour working week – caused

unrest and long, heated debate at Bosch

as well.

Left:

Materials researcher

at an X-ray apparatus

at Bosch, 1936

Right:

Manufacture – in Japan – of

electronic control units for

Bosch Jetronic systems,

1986



Robert Bosch | 67

Yet however heated these disputes may be,

they have always been marked by a mutual

desire to reach a workable solution, as well

as by an atmosphere of mutual respect.

Lifelong commitment

In his will, Robert Bosch mapped out the

special ownership structure that still distin-

guishes the company today. The role of

main shareholder is played by the industrial

trust Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG.

Former as well as present members of the

Bosch board of management, Christof

Bosch in his role as spokesperson for the

descendants of Robert Bosch, and industri-

alists from outside the company are mem-

bers of this trust. “We act in accordance

with Robert Bosch’s express wish that the

company should continue to enjoy strong

and meaningful development,” says Franz

Fehrenbach, describing the brief of those

at the helm of the company. What is meant

is that anyone who is appointed to the most

senior level of management at Bosch is not

simply an officeholder, but also takes on a

mission. This also explains why the com-

pany has had only six CEOs, including the

founder himself, since its establishment

in 1886. The stable shareholder structure

safeguards the Bosch Group against poten-

Top:

Advertising poster by

Lucian Bernard, 1914




tial takeover bids and ensures an inde-

pendent, long-term business policy. But

it is not only the members of the board

of management who often stay with the

company for decades. It is also the mem-

bers of the workforce, many of whom

spend their entire working lives at Bosch.

International understanding and

cultural diversity

Yet Robert Bosch’s legacy does not end

here. He also placed his actions as a man

and as an entrepreneur in the context of

his responsibilities to society. Throughout

his life, for example, he was committed to

promoting greater understanding among

nations. This has had a significant influence

on the company. Marcus Bierich, who was

Bosch CEO between 1984 and 1993,

summarized this nicely when he said: “This

commitment to society and to culture lives

From left to right:

Robert Bosch

Hans Walz

Hans L. Merkle

Marcus Bierich

Hermann Scholl

Franz Fehrenbach

on in the company. Bosch invests in other

countries, but these countries are more

than just places for doing business. We

also try to develop a feeling for, and thus to

understand, the culture of these countries.”

Today, executives wishing to progress up

the career ladder at Bosch will have to

spend a certain period working outside

their home country. This is not only to

promote a better understanding of markets.

The board of management also wants to

be sure that the company’s executives are

receptive to other cultures and mentalities.

Accordingly, Bosch refers as a matter of

principle to “regional” rather than “foreign”

subsidiaries. This vision of a pluralistic

society has not always met with undivided

approval. In Nazi Germany, for example,

it generated hostility. Yet despite the risks,

people were not willing to compromise

these values.



Robert Bosch | 69

The living legacy

The legacy of Robert Bosch lives on, and

this not only because the founder’s values,

attitudes, and principles are still omnipres-

ent even today. It also owes its vitality to

the way it has been adapted to the present

age, and thus preserved in its freshness. In

the late 1990s, the Bosch board of manage-

ment subjected the company’s unwritten

values to close scrutiny. How much of

Robert Bosch’s legacy was still valid? This

was not an uncontroversial process, since

any company that sets out its values in

writing can also be judged by those values.

Today, these values as set out in the

“House of Orientation” are the common

factor uniting all associates worldwide.

Designed as a frame of reference for all

associates, the “House of Orientation”

identifies basic principles such as legality,

reliability, a commitment to quality, and

respect for different cultures. Not least,

the Bosch vision outlined in this brochure

sets out the company’s ambition to enhance

the quality of life and to achieve a leading

position on the market with solutions that

are both innovative and beneficial.

This brings us back to the Bosch DNA –

the quest for an even better technological

solution for the benefit of both the com-

pany and society. Robert Bosch would no

doubt have approved of the company’s

slogan “Invented for life.” Writing in 1932,

he said: “[...] Advances in technology in

the widest sense of the word serve to bring

the greatest possible benefits to mankind.

Technology is designed and has the capa-

bility to help the whole of mankind make

the best of their lives and find happiness

in life.”




Timeline of Robert Bosch

1861 Robert Bosch is born on September 23, in Albeck near Ulm

1876–79 Trains as a precision mechanic in Ulm

1883 –84 Attends Stuttgart Polytechnic as a non-registered student

1884 Spends one year working at various companies in the U.S.,

including the Edison Machine Works

1885 Spends several months working for Siemens Brothers in the U.K.

1886 Robert Bosch opens his “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering”

in Stuttgart on November 15

1887 Marries Anna Kayser (1864 –1949)

1888 Birth of daughter Margarete (died 1971)

1889 Birth of daughter Paula (died 1974)

1891 Birth of first son Robert (died 1921)

1893 Birth of daughter Erna Elisabeth (died 1894)

1897 Robert Bosch fits a magneto ignition device in an automobile for the first time

1901 Robert Bosch and 45 associates move into the company’s first factory in Stuttgart

1910 Construction of the Robert Bosch Haus on Heidehofstrasse

1917 Robert Bosch changes his company to an AG (stock corporation)

1927 Marries Margarete Wörz (1888 –1979)

1928 Birth of second son Robert (died 2004)

1931 Birth of daughter Eva

1937 Robert Bosch AG becomes a GmbH (close corporation)

1940 Official opening of the Robert Bosch Hospital

1942 Robert Bosch dies on March 12



Robert Bosch | 71

Robert Bosch in Pfronten

1940–41



Robert Bosch GmbH

Historical Communications (C/CCH)

Postfach 30 02 20

70442 Stuttgart

Germany

Phone +49 711 811-44156

Fax +49 711 811-44504

Director:

Dr. Kathrin Fastnacht

www.bosch.com/cch

Further copies of this brochure

can be ordered by email from:

[email protected]

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